THE SALMON. 181 



Salmon that have spawned, are called " shotten sal- 

 mon." They are also called kelts, black fish, foul fish, 

 shedders, and kippers. They are found only in the 

 deep places, and avoid the banks of the rivers. Their 

 course is regularly toward the sea ; but it is sluggish, 

 on account of their exhausted state ; and they are often 

 observed resting in those places where the water is 

 more than usually still. The length of time that the 

 salmon take to descend the rivers must, of course, bear 

 some proportion to the distance to which they ascend. 

 In British rivers, the descent may be considered as, on 

 the average, over by the end of December ; but as they 

 are not gregarious, and do not even go in pairs, except 

 while spawning, their progress is quite irregular, and 

 some have begun to ascend, or at least appeared in the 

 estuaries, before the last of the kelts have descended 

 the river. 



A question has been raised as to whether the salmon 

 do, or do not spawn every year ; and, though the ques- 

 tion does not admit of direct proof, there are some cir- 

 cumstances that would lead to a belief, that they do not 

 spawn annually. The fishers include both males and 

 females under the common name of " spawners ; " and, 

 in addition to these, they distinguish " barren fish," in 

 which neither milt nor roe is found, and which do not 

 ascend the rivers, or change their places, except by 

 going a little further off the shores, or out of the estuary, 

 in the tempestuous months. Another fact is, that the 

 length of time between the kelts leaving the river, and 

 the fish, in very fine condition, entering it, is rather 

 short for allowing the great change which they exhibit 

 to take place. We have heard intelligent salmon-fishers 





